I. Field of the Invention
A load transferring structure for use in an A-pillar assembly in an automotive vehicle for transferring the force of a frontal impact to the vehicle rail, rocker, and door reinforcement.
II. Description of the Prior Art
An A-pillar assembly of an automotive vehicle provides structural support for the vehicle roof as well as other vehicle components, and also serves to transfer the load of a frontal impact to other vehicle structures. The A-pillar is generally disposed forward of the front passenger and driver doors.
A-pillar assemblies in automotive vehicles typically comprise an outer panel assembly and an inner panel assembly. The edges of the outer panel assembly are attached to the edges of the inner panel assembly, and a portion of the outer panel assembly is spaced apart from the inner panel assembly. The outer panel assembly can be further defined by an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion and upper portion of the outer panel assembly are both attached to the inner panel assembly such that part of the lower portion is inside the upper portion. Furthermore, the conventional construction of such outer panel assemblies has been to male the lower portion and upper portion generally the same width and profile as to increase the strength of the A-pillar assembly. However, such configurations use a lot of material which in turn increases the weight of the vehicle and cost of production. Accordingly, attempts have been made to reduce material while maintaining load transferring capabilities by utilizing a reinforcing structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,547 (Ju-Sik) discloses such a reinforcing structure for an A-pillar. The reinforcing structure is a bracket is fitted between the outer panel and the inner panel of an A-pillar assembly to provide structural support and load transfer capabilities. The bracket has a generally planar base with flanges extending outwardly from the base at an angle. WO2005/061309 (Anders et al.) discloses a reinforcement strut disposed over the A-pillar assembly and extending from the cowl to the door reinforcement
The reinforcement structure in Ju-Sik tends to bend at the flanges when influenced by a frontal impact and therefore loses some load transferring characteristics, and the reinforcement strut disclosed in Anders et al. requires additional material to extend from the cowl to the door reinforcement. Therefore, it is desirable to have an A-pillar assembly which utilizes less material to retain an efficient load transferring capability.